38 kid's table

[dwigle]

The kid's table (ok, game table) on our early 38 is tippy and difficult for those not used to eating off of it to keep in its brackets. While we have two L shaped brackets that drop into receiving brackets and a drop down support that rests against the wall, it appears that later 38s have a different attachment system where the table slides into a bracket parallel to the tabletop rather than perpendicular like ours.
Mostly, I'm wondering how others have dealt with the small table.

Don Wigle
Wiggle Room
E38 #8
Pt. Richmond. CA

 

[Dan Morehouse]

Don,

The small table on my E-38 also has the L brackets you describe. It has a single leg that folds down from under the table and supports it directly to the sole. It is also tippy; if you lean on either inboard corner, the opposite L bracket lifts out of its reciever, making the thing nearly unusable. I keep it down to form a settee until I get around to boring holes in the L brackets & recievers so I can fasten them together with a bolt of some kind. Plus, I'd like to arrange the drop down support to rest against the wall instead of the sole. Do I understand you to mean this is what yours does, and does that mean the support is diagonal?

Dan Morehouse
1981 E-38 "Next Exit"

 

[Loren Beach]

Problems and Compromises

Lots of these for sale at West Marine and other sources, and I will append a pix from one site. Our former N-26 used a set of these for the dinette table and I found the design weakness you all are referring to.

Remember that the idea is to drop the ss piece into its socket from an angle of about 8 degrees or so below vertical. Then, as you lift the top level and lock in the support leg the pieces "lock" together courtesy of the way they are stamped out. As the parts get uninstalled and reinstalled many times over the years the metal flexes a bit and the part that locks in wears and rounds off. Then when you lean on one side, the support on the other side lifts out. Consternation and spilled coffee results.

IF you plan on leaving the table in the up position for a while, note that you can pin the parts together from underneath. A bit fiddly to remove later when you want to convert back to a seat or sea berth, though.

It's a compromise, like about everything else. I wonder if something like Snap Apart Hinges (West Marine on line catalog) might be a better solution?

Regards,
Loren

 

[Dan Morehouse]

Loren,
Not familiar with Snap Apart hinges, but something with the sort of spring loaded 1/4 turn devices that you see used for shackles joining mainsails with their halyards is what I had in mind for joining the halves of the L brackets. Would probably be a pain to execute, but it could keep the finished mechanism from being too fiddly if done well.

What you describe about the original stamped pieces seems to fit. There are "corns", or small protruding half-circles, on my stamped pieces which seem to be intended to retain matching stamps on their respective matching pieces. But they do not engage in any effective fashion, either because of wear or ineffective design or execution.

Worst case is that I drill holes, tap them, and insert machine bolts to retain the parts together. This would be effective, but inconvenient. I'd love to hear a better, simpler, and more effective solution.

Dan Morehouse
1981 E-38 "Next Exit"

 

[Bob Grenier]

I solved this by using a slide bolt under the table edge. One on each side.

I first did the screw in bolt thing but it was a pain to deal with.

Lots to choose from.